2.8 Hours Later Bristol - 2012 Review

2.8 Hours later has seen huge success across the UK since opening in Bistol in 2010. But to prepare for their next terrifying event, Slingshot announced that 2012 would be the last year for 2.8 in Bristol. How could we turn down the opportunity to be one of the last players in the city where it all started?

Returning to Bristol for 2.8 Hours Later, we had no idea what to expect. After playing the game in 2011, we were filled with anticipation; would the same sets be used? would the game be more or less challenging? would we make it through our second zombie apocalypse? Last year, against the odds but fuelled by adrenalin and fear I actually managed to survive. I was therefore quietly confident that I would again manage to outrun and outsmart the living dead of Bristol’s streets. Well I was wrong about that one!

The paranoia had set in straight from the off as we passed an abandoned car with its bonnet and boot wide open. Running past, heart beating out of my chest, it appeared to be a red herring. The game started off similar to last year although the locations seemed to be a lot closer together with less walking between grid references as it took us only 5 minutes to find the first actor, a woman wandering the streets in her dressing gown, searching for her husband whom we were shown a photo of. It was shortly after this meeting that we encountered our first zombies and they did not disappoint! As we searched for a way into the old police station, standing on the corner of the street we remarked how there didn’t seem to be many zombies around when a mini bus stopped right next to us and a zombie leaned out of the window and moaned at us. The bus was full of them and came to a halt just up the street which made us more determined to find our next location and get the hell away as soon as possible!

Once inside the old police station, I assumed that we would be safe but as we cautiously descended the staircase into the basement, a scream shattered any illusion of safety. Our team unwillingly continued through the chilling maze of corridors until we entered a room containing prison cells and a supposedly dead zombie lying on the floor. A prisoner, locked inside one of the cells was pleading with us to let him out and promising information if we gave him the key. Panicked, half of our team, me included tried to find the quickest way out of there but one of my team mates found the key on the floor and we were given the next grid reference, not waiting around to see what would happen next as the zombie started stirring! Running as fast as we could we got back upstairs and out into daylight which unfortunately wasn’t providing the reassurance of safety that we would hope for!

Our next reference took us through the busy shopping area of Broadmead and this is when survival became very tricky! One by one, more zombies were spotted until there for 4 or 5 on our radar. Not knowing exactly where to run we went for the all or nothing option and all ran at full pelt straight across the square to safety. Unfortunately, one of our team members was bitten in the process and after realising that we had in fact gone the wrong way, our only option was to run the gauntlet again. This is the moment, only half an hour into the game that I was bitten along with another member of our team. Successfully outrunning one zombie who was coming for me I unwittingly ran straight into the path of another zombie!

One of my highlights of the night was next to come. As with last year, the locations were used to their full potential and were encountered suddenly with the disorientation adding to the suspense. As we waited outside an entrance to an underground car park we didn’t know quite what to expect and once we were let in, it wasn’t clear where we were, where the zombies might be or where we were supposed to go which added to the fear and anxiety. Checking out every crevice, we made our way through a door and along a narrow corridor where we slowly opened a second door into a small room. Here we were greeted by an over enthusiastic bank manager and directed through a series of dark corridors and stairwells only to appear in a huge disused bank! Being chased into a bank vault by two zombies was not something I had expected! So far all of the sets had been different but we proceeded to one of last years, an old church which was used in the same way as before. The variety of the buildings used and the theming along the way was fantastic and the location scouts really managed to find five star creepy venues that were chilling enough in themselves, zombies or no zombies!

As the game continued and the light began to fade, our distrust of our surroundings grew and by the time we entered the fourth indoor set and were sent along a silent pitch black corridor, everyone’s nerves were shot to pieces! Another mass charge across a huge dimly lit floor followed before we were out and in relative safety, but not for long. More sprinting, (again in the wrong direction) meant another dash back across a zombie infested cross roads before the final journey to resistance HQ passing a doll head collecting tramp, a lone survivor who was making his escape to a safe hold in the country and some zombie revellers on a night out. The last sprint of the night brought back memories of last year’s virtually impenetrable army of zombies along a short narrow street to safety. Amazingly two of our six team members managed to avoid infection!

Even though I didn’t survive this year, I was secretly happy to be turned into a zombie at the end ready for the zombie disco which played a variety of horror related songs, film scores and zombie movie clips. My only disappointments were the absence of the amazing shopping centre from and the park as locations which were without a doubt the most challenging areas last year, as well as the fact that the locations seemed to be a lot closer together which made the game feel that it didn’t last quite as long.

Overall, Slingshot provided another excellent experience, with different challenges, varied locations and zombies with increased speed and stamina! This is the last year of 2.8 Hours Later in Bristol but we can’t wait to play the game again in a different city next year and we are certain that next year’s main game at Bristol’s Igfest will follow in the footsteps of 2.8 and deliver something very special indeed!

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